CARING community groups which teamed up to tackle anti-social behaviour around the Overpool shops are showing they mean business.

Police, shopkeepers, education officials, youth workers and housing chiefs got their heads together to look at ways of reducing disorder.

Community Action Team officer PC Rob Dalton spearheaded the fight against rowdy, aggressive and intimidating behaviour towards shopkeepers and customers by youngsters.

Work is now taking place between the partner agencies to implement a number of ideas suggested at their first meeting.

PC Dalton, who attended with Sgt Steve Bailey and Police Community Support Officer Mark Delamere, said: 'I feel it was really worthwhile.

'Representatives from the agencies came along and some really useful discussions took place about the problems, how we can all contribute to tackling them and what can be done to prevent them in the first place.

'One of the topics of conversation was youth service provision and we're hoping to set up some type of youth service at a local centre. In the meantime, we're hoping there'll be a degree of detached youth work taking place in the community.

'We are currently working on a poster campaign which will help deliver the message that

anti-social behaviour is not acceptable, nor will it be tolerated in and around the shops.

'And the shopkeepers are looking at ideas to help improve relations with schools.'

The meeting was called as part of a bigger operation by Ellesmere Port police to clamp down on anti-social nuisance in the Overpool Road area.

This has so far seen increased patrols at key times, the seizure of alcohol and intervention by anti-social behaviour co-ordinator Michelle Brown.

She contacts parents and guardians of problem youngsters to alert them to the offensive behaviour and warn them of the consequences.

Cheshire Fire Service plays a vital role by using CCTV cameras on fire engines, while the borough council's mobile CCTV van regularly patrols the area.

PC Dalton said: 'A number of children have already been signed up to Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs) after we all decided their behaviour was a problem.

'The ABCs aim to address a young person's bad behaviour and, if they fail to respond, an Anti-Social Behaviour Order may be considered.

'It's a shame we have to take these steps because only a handful of young people are causing the problems.

'Their behaviour is having an impact on the wider community and that is not acceptable.'